Weedle rebrands as SkillPages – a Facebook for job seekers?

UCD social media software firm Weedle is rebranding itself to SkillPages in a move that will make it possible for internet users to create and update their own SkillPage for free in seconds.

SkillPages, which describes itself as the “World’s Trusted Network of People with Skills”, is designed to create new opportunities for people, enabling anyone, anywhere to be found by people who need their skills and find skilled people who are recommended by their friends.

SkillPages is free, open to everyone, and every type of skill is represented, including those employed by accountants, lawyers, contractors, artists, photographers, beauticians, designers and thousands more.

“Following research and user feedback, we decided to change the name to better describe what the service provides and what we do,” commented SkillPages CEO Iain Mac Donald.

“The new name is intended to be more descriptive and make it easier to understand exactly how the site works.”

Financing and new features

To date, the company has raised €3m to develop the service which has users in 160 countries.

In parallel with the name change, SkillPages is launching new and enhanced features. Amongst them is the ability to create your SkillPage with its own unique web address, eg, skillpages.com/your.name.

You can update your SkillPage in seconds with what you have been working on recently, enabling a rich demonstration of your skills in action using text, photos, video, documents and more at no charge. You can also include links in your updates to your contacts’ SkillPages, showing who you work with and enhancing your credibility.

“For the first time, people with any skill can accurately demonstrate their capabilities online,” says Mac Donald.

“By linking your SkillPage updates to people you have worked with, it creates a credible representation of those skills and capabilities.”

Already, SkillPages has created thousands of new opportunities for people, with users in Ireland and worldwide reporting success in being found by new customers, clients, employers, business partners and others.